The Brigade of Gurkhas will be among those hit first by sweeping cuts at the Ministry of Defence, after the rights granted to them after a long campaign created a surplus of the soldiers.

Around 150 jobs will be cut from the brigade, which has as many as 3,500 men, when the first batch of military redundancies takes effect in September.

When Gurkhas were awarded the same rights as British soldiers in 2009, after a high-profile campaign led by Joanna Lumley, they were allowed to serve for 22 years instead of 15, meaning that there are now more Gurkhas serving